


Show Me Proof (Be careful what you ask for)

by mystic_believexx



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Adorable Harry, Basically what might happen if Niall ever decided to take matters into his own hands, Friends to Lovers, I suck at tagging but please give this a read, Liam being Liam, M/M, Oblivious Louis, Perceptive Niall, Sarcastic Zayn, Set in 2017 because why not, YouTube, band au, larry stylinson - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-19
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-03-31 07:33:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3969469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mystic_believexx/pseuds/mystic_believexx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Louis was, in fact, straight. Harry and him were no more than best friends who sometimes liked to cuddle on the tour bus. That was it. End of story.<br/>Which was why the Larry rumours bothered him so much, unlike Harry who just laughed it off. </p><p>“What the hell are they basing this on?” Louis would say each time a new article on ‘Larry’ popped up around the internet, “Show me the fucking proof!”<br/>And, after listening to Louis’ complaints on the matter one time too many, Niall decides to show him just that in the form of a Youtube video.</p><p>OR</p><p>The one in which Niall makes true on his promise to ‘go down with this ship’ and shows Louis what Larry Stylinson is all about!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Show Me Proof-1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: When I need to procrastinate from study, this happens.
> 
> This story is set a couple of years in the future and is entirely fictional, which is why I can include Zayn as part of 1D and not feel the slightest bit guilty about it(in other words, my real-life opinions on Zayn do not matter when it comes to writing fanfics). If you don’t like stories with all five of the boys in it, please find something else to read. 
> 
> Written for a friend who is a Larry shipper and who introduced me to the glorious world of Larry fan fiction. I owe you so much haha! Hopefully I haven’t made any glaring mistakes. Enjoy! :) xx

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **  
> As some of you have probably guessed, I've outgrown this fic and currently have no plans to continue it. I'm happy to leave the chapters up for those who still want to read it but just be aware that no more chapters are going to be added. My sincerest apologies to all those that were hoping to read more. I hope my other fics make up for it! Love to you all <3 xx  
> **

Louis’ eyes were glued to the football game on the telly when Zayn and Harry walked in, laughing about something.  
“Shh”, Louis held up a finger to his lips. 

Zayn smirked but that only seemed to make the situation funnier for Harry, who had tears of mirth in his eyes. Louis narrowed his eyes at him and raised an eyebrow- his ‘Don’t test me, Harold’ eyebrow. That had more of an effect on the curly-haired man, who ducked his head and attempted to hide his laughter behind his hands. Louis sighed. That would have to do, he supposed. At least he could watch his football game under a semblance of peace.

He muttered, “You heavy, oaf”, as Harry moved to sit beside him, throwing his long legs onto Louis’ lap. He shifted around for a minute, getting into the most comfortable position before resting his head against Louis’ shoulder.

“Just sit on his lap already”, Liam chuckled as he walked in and Louis turned to give him a glare but this time, it was Harry who said, “Shh” and pointed at the television.

“Louis’ watching the match”, he said with a small frown at Liam. It made Louis smile, which was why he reached out and ran a hand through Harry’s hair, scratching his scalp lightly in that way that made Harry almost purr with satisfaction. Harry’s eyes turned towards the armchair in which Niall was lounging, a packet of pretzels in his hand. Louis didn’t even have to ask to know Harry wanted them. 

“Oi! Share the food, Nialler”, Louis said it in a teasing tone but he reached out to grab the bag nevertheless. Niall protested weakly but the moment Louis said, “Harry wants it”, he shut up, grumbling something under his breath. 

“Thanks, Lou!” Harry grinned up at him as he stuffed a pretzel in his mouth.  
“Anytime, Haz”, Louis chuckled softly before turning back to the match, letting Harry nuzzle against his chest. 

 

Him and Harry had been friends for nearly seven years and, by this point, Louis had memorised everything about the younger boy by heart. But that was all they were. Just friends.

Because, as Louis had pointed out time and again, he was in actual fact, completely straight. Sure, he liked to cuddle with Harry. Yeah, he sometimes gave him love bites (just as a joke though!). And maybe there was that _one_ time when he had accidentally kissed him on the lips. The key word being _accident_. But some people genuinely thought they were together. It was ridiculous in Louis’ not so humble opinion.  
Him and Harry! In a relationship? As if that were ever going to happen!

Almost as if some greater deity had been reading his mind, Liam chose that moment to look up from his phone to say, “Oh look! Another larry stylinson article. It even has a picture!”

Zayn smirked, Niall grinned, Louis’ eyes flashed with annoyance and Harry…well, Harry nearly tore Liam’s arm off as he grabbed for the phone.

“Let me see!” he demanded, sounding like an excited child, “Do I look okay? It’s not from when we went clubbing last night, is it? My hair was an absolute fright!”

Louis scoffed. “Oh please! As if your hair’s ever a mess! I’m pretty sure you wake up with fucking perfect curls”.

“Well, you would know best”, Zayn remarked casually from his seat. Louis opened his mouth, eyes narrowed, a sarcastic remark at the tip of his tongue but before he could say a word, Harry grabbed his arm.

“Look, Louis” he pointed at Liam’s phone screen, “We look pretty good in this photo. It’s quite a flattering angle!”

Louis frowned as he studied the picture that was captioned, ‘Lovebirds out and about? Larry rumours abound’. 

“Harry, that’s been photoshopped”, he pointed out.  
“I know but we still look good!” Harry replied, looking up with green eyes that twinkled. Louis was still annoyed about the stupid article and fake photo but he couldn’t stay mad for long when Harry was giving him that adorable, dimpled grin.

“Yeah, I guess”, he shrugged instead, “I just don’t get why these rumours are still going around. Management’s been doing everything to stop them”.

“Well, they did say if you and Harry stopped interacting while the cameras were on us, it might help…” Liam began but Louis cut across.  
“That’s rubbish! What? I can’t talk to my best mate or look at him just because some fans believe this crazy conspiration theory? Besides, we tried that for a bit a couple of years ago. Didn’t do a thing but make us miserable”.

He turned to Harry who was serenely smiling down at the screen, now checking his twitter account.

“How is it you never get annoyed about these things?” Louis asked, running his fingers through Harry’s hair again to make Harry’s eyelids flutter. 

“I just don’t really care much”, Harry laughed quietly, “Like, I’m not too bothered by what people think of me. Besides, they all know I’m bisexual now so it’s kind of understandable they think we’re together”.

Louis shook his head, his frown deepening. “But these rumours started before you came out as bi. They were floating around even during the X-Factor days. It’s weird that they haven’t died down by now”.

Harry gave a long sigh, turning to face Louis fully.  
“Is it such a horrible thing, Lou?” he asked, quietly, “It’s just our fans having a bit of fun. Does it really bother you that much?”

“No”, Louis shook his head again, pulling Harry closer to cuddle against him, “No, it’s not that the rumours bother me. I just don’t see the basis for them, you know? I don’t get why people believe it without any proof”.

He didn’t see Zayn rolling his eyes or Niall sharing an exasperated look with Liam.

Harry gave another sigh and threw his arm around Louis’ stomach, cuddling closer.  
“Some people just like to believe, I guess”, he said with a small smile and Louis smiled down fondly at him before they returned to watching the match, the topic forgotten for the moment.

 

\--------------------------

 

“I just don’t get it, you know?” Louis said for the third time in the last fifteen minutes. “How do fans believe this stuff without proof?”

This was all part of his rant at having discovered, yet another ‘Larry Stylinson’ article on the web. Apparently, according to a ‘very close source’, Harry and Louis were planning on adopting children.

Louis was currently sitting on the comfortable hotel bed, voicing his annoyance out loud to Niall, who had wandered in to play FIFA twenty minutes ago. A decision which Niall was fast regretting.

Helping Liam organise the set list sounded way more appealing right now. Hell, he would even prefer to attend one of Harry’s yoga lessons than spend another minute hearing about Louis’ disbelief at larry stylinson.

“It makes no sense that they’d think that”, Louis was saying and Niall’s patience was pushed to the limit. 

“Actually”, he put down his game controller to turn around and face Louis, “It makes a lot of sense. You guys do act like a couple an awful lot”.

Louis was actually gaping at him, seemingly at a loss for words. Well that was a first! He recovered a moment later though, to indignantly squawk, “We do not, Niall Horan!”

Niall shrugged, “Yeah except you actually do. You’re just blind to it. What does Liam call it? Selective screening? Something like that”.

“You and Liam have talked about this!?” Louis was actually pretty offended at this moment. 

Niall, oblivious to it all, just laughed. “Mate, everyone who knows you and Harry have talked about it at some point. We even had a bet going on which year you’d finally hook up. I thought 2015 by the way…lost a good bit of money on that one”.

“What the actual fuck?” Louis managed to croak out. Niall shrugged again and got up, preparing to leave the room but Louis had leaped off the bed and grabbed his hand before he could escape. “No! You can’t just tell me everyone thinks I’m gay and not fucking explain it!”

“We don’t think you’re gay, Tommo”, Niall said, “Just that you’re secretly in love with Harry”.

“Harry”, Louis repeated, monotonously, “Who is a boy. The same gender as me. Me being in love with him, which I’m _not_ by the way- would mean that I’m gay”.

Niall frowned for a moment before understanding.  
“Oh yeah. Guess you are then. You gonna go ask him out now?”

“What? No!” Louis tried not to shriek but it was a difficult task. He couldn’t believe his friends all thought he was in love with Harry! “Niall, I’m straight. And regardless of my sexuality, I’m definitely _not_ in love with my best friend! He’s…he’s like a brother to me”.

Niall pulled a face at that. “Bro, you’re probably gonna want to take that back. People don’t generally ogle their brother’s arse”.  
“I DO NOT…” Louis began but Niall cut him off with a, “Hold on! Wait here. I know what’ll help convince you”.

He left Louis standing there, wondering what the hell had just happened. When Niall returned, he had his laptop with him.

“You wanted proof as to why fans think you and Harry are together”, Niall explained, putting the laptop on the bed, “This should be ample evidence. This girl’s gone and put together all the lovey-dovey stuff you two have done since X-factor into one video”.

Louis blinked down at the screen which had a youtube video paused. It was titled ‘Larry Stylinson Moments 2010-2017’.

“Niall”, Louis said slowly, trying to wrap his head around the situation he was in, “Why do you know about this video?”

Niall looked surprised. “Liam sent it to me”, he said as if that were a perfectly ordinary thing.

“And why does Liam know about this video?” Louis asked again.

“Because Zayn sent it to him and Zayn got it from Lottie who got it from Fizzy. Not sure where Fiz got it from though”. 

“Fizzy”, Louis repeated, feeling more and more certain that he was still asleep and dreaming, “As in, my younger sister, Felicite”.

“Obviously”, Niall rolled his eyes as if Louis were the crazy one, “Now stop wasting time, yeah? Watch it. Witness your humiliating moments of lovestruck affection the rest of us have had to sit through. And then once you’re done, maybe you can finally do something about all that unresolved sexual tension you and your _best mate_ have going on. Enjoy!”

Niall gave him a sly wink and was out the door, closing it behind him, before Louis could say or do anything more.

“For fuck’s sake”, he muttered, fully intending to turn off the laptop but he found himself reaching for his headphones instead and plugging it in. His hand hovered over the play button for a few seconds before he shrugged. What harm could it do, really? And he could admit that he _was_ just the slightest bit curious about why fans thought him and Harry were together. 

As Louis clicked on the video, put on the headphones and settled back against the pillows, the thought on his mind was-what harm could this possibly do?

 

\--------------------------

 

Louis had been wrong. So incredibly fucking wrong.

At first, the video had just been funny to watch, looking back at all their jokes and shenanigans during X-factor which the fans seemed to have read entirely too much into. But as the video progressed, Louis found himself growing fascinated by the touches and smiles he and Harry shared, some seemingly in secret. He watched himself hugging Harry and petting his hair in an intimate fashion. He witnessed the way his gaze lingered on Harry whenever they were out on stage and how, most of the time, Harry looked right back with a small, private smile.

There were pictures of their matching tattoos, some of which had been unintentional on their part. And until now, Louis hadn’t quite realised just how much like couples tattoos they seemed. The anchor and rope. Ship and compass.The Butterfly and the ‘It is what it is’ quote on his chest, which were part of the same design, the rose and dagger, the ‘Hi’ and ‘Oops!’ which were in each other’s handwriting. It was borderline creepy just how oblivious he had been to the perceived meanings behind what he had been getting inked all over his body.  
And, now that he thought about it, most of his tattoos had been done to commemorate events or moments he had shared with Harry.

Louis found himself reading into his own actions and behaviour as pictures came up of him with his on and off girlfriend (currently off), Eleanor, followed by comments on how unhappy he seemed with her. This was followed by photos of him and Harry, both of them smiling, laughing in a carefree manner and obviously having fun. At first, Louis denied the evidence he could see before him.

So what if he enjoyed hanging out with Harry more than Eleanor? Harry was his best friend. He knew Louis better than anyone so it was easier to hold a conversation with him and joke around. So what if he sometimes stared at Harry and licked his lips? That didn’t mean anything. Harry stared at him a lot too. But hey, Liam stared at Zayn sometimes…granted not _as_ much but still. Most of the time it was just to get the stage cues right. 

But not even Louis could deny the behind the scenes evidence this particular fan had gathered. Seriously though, where the hell did she get it all from? 

Some of it was from interviews. The question about the most romantic thing Louis had ever done for his girlfriend. Louis had said he had cooked for her, which he had done but that had been pizza not chicken stuffed with mozzarella wrapped in parma ham with a side of homemade mash. No. That meal he had only ever cooked once and it had definitely been for Harry.

He had made it in a attempt to prove to Harry that he was capable of making more than toast and tea. It had been a good night, filled with laughter and Harry had spent most of the night looking at Louis as if he were his most favourite person on earth. Which, after the effort he had put into that meal, he better bloody have been!

Then the video showed all the times he had apparently gotten jealous. So maybe Louis shoved the other lads out of the way when they got a bit too handsy with Harry but really, he was only protecting the younger boy from feeling uncomfortable, right? 

He hadn’t been _jealous_ of Niall when he had hugged Harry or of Liam when he had whispered in Harry’s ear (although-why couldn’t the guy just have spoken out loud? What was so secretive between them, hmm?). No. Of course not. That would be ridiculous!

His twitter feud with Nick Grimshaw was _not_ , as this fan suggested, sparked by jealousy over Harry spending a lot of time with Nick. That feud had simply been because Nick was a prick and Louis hadn’t liked him from the moment they laid eyes on each other…maybe partially because Nick’s arm had been around Harry’s waist at the time but that was irrelevant in the grander scheme of things.

And him hating Taylor Swift was absolutely _not_ because he was in love with Harry or anything! He had just been looking out for his best friend, who could do so much better than a girl who had a reputation for breaking hearts. And Louis hadn’t liked the way she watched him and Harry interact, her blue eyes glittering as though she were enjoying some great joke at his expense. 

Niall’s words about how everyone who knew them thought they were in love, came back to him. But no. Taylor fucking Swift was not that bloody perceptive!  
Besides, he’d posed with her for a couple of photos at a party a couple of years ago and had decided she wasn’t quite as bad as he had initially thought, especially once he found out she no longer harboured feelings for his best friend and was happily dating some other bloke. That was all just circumstantial at best.

It gave Louis some satisfaction, though, to note that Harry too, seemed to have his moments of jealous rage. In fact, to Louis, Harry’s reactions were more noticeable than his own because Harry’s demeanour was usually so calm and relaxed. So, when he pushed Liam away from Louis with an annoyed look on his face, Louis found himself staring at the video, enraptured. There were a few other instances, when Harry would come up and touch Louis immediately after someone else had, almost as if to stake a silent claim. Louis found that the thought was quite a pleasant one. Thinking that he ‘belonged’ to Harry made a thrill race down his spine.

Some of the things the video mentioned were just weird, like the times they had caught each other’s gazes across the room and smiled. That hadn’t meant anything but there was no denying the chemistry between them. It seemed to somehow translate better, even more prominently, through the lens of the cameras. Louis hadn’t been aware of the way he sometimes watched Harry or the way he bit his lips, the way his eyes wandered to any bit of exposed skin on Harry’s body or just how often they shared clothes. 

He hadn’t ever realised how possessive his gestures and behaviour towards Harry was but it was all there, caught on film, to be relived forever. It was hard to justify some of those things as simply platonic. 

Like that one time in that interview when Harry had been seated behind him and had obviously wanted Louis’ attention. Louis remembered thinking Harry touching his arm would feel quite nice but he hadn’t realised, until he saw the video, just how slowly and purposefully he had moved his arm back to let Harry stroke it. It was almost like watching himself through a thick glass, observing the way his body reacted and responded without his mind entirely processing the information. 

The video ended with a simple quote from Harry, “It just kinda happened” and Louis’ voice came through the headphones saying, “It is what it is”. Although he knew neither of them had been talking about anything Larry related, those words seemed kind of perfect. 

His mind was still scrambled from the video, Louis thought because that was the only reasonable explanation for him typing in ‘larry stylinson evidence’ into google and scouring through tumblr and twitter posts. He would have been lying if he said the pictures of Harry with children didn’t make his heart melt a little. Harry was such a natural when it came to them! 

Louis may have watched another video later on and then another and, perhaps, one more after. And that night, when Harry snuck into his room because he couldn’t sleep and snuggled into bed with Louis under the insistence that he was, “the little spoon!” as he often did, if Louis had a slight hard-on in his boxers, no one had to know.

Especially not Harry. Because Louis was not in love with his best friend! Even though he kind of, may have, _accidentally_ become a bit of a Larry shipper himself. It was all fucking Niall’s fault!


	2. Show Me Proof-2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so completely overwhelmed by the amazing response and supportive comments I got on the last chapter!I never thought you guys would like it this much but a massive thank you to all!   
> I know I didn’t respond to every comment but I definitely read them all and cried happy tears.  
> So, by popular demand-flattery works wonders ;)- here’s another chapter. Hope you enjoy it :) xx

Calm. That’s what Louis was. Calm as a clam. Wait…was that even the saying?  
Whatever. All he knew was that, despite waking up to very prominent morning wood and the limbs of a koala by the name of Harry Styles draped around him, he was perfectly calm and collected. Not freaking out, at all. Most definitely not thinking about the way Harry felt against him or how comfortable he was or how the fans would go crazy if they got a photo of this very Larry Stylinson-esque moment. Nope. 

If his heart was beating a tad faster than normal, he could blame it on Harry’s head crushing his ribcage. Yeah, that’s what it was. The curly-haired lad was hugging Louis’ waist with all the strength a sleepy Styles could produce, which was a considerable amount. And it was both comfortable and familiar enough that Louis considered, for a brief few seconds, going back to sleep just to feel the boy’s warmth next to him.

But the pressing problem in his pants reminded him that he needed to get to the bathroom before his best friend woke up. Because, if he knew Harry(and he did), the first thing the man would do when he saw it would be to smirk and jokingly grab for it. Now normally, this wouldn’t be such a problem but after watching Niall’s little video last night, Louis was terrified he’d do something humiliating like moan when Harry touched him. 

So, untangling himself from Harry became less of an idea and more of a necessity. As in, Louis needed to get the fuck up right this instant! He gently managed to move his legs away from Harry’s longer ones and, after carefully prying his arms off, slowly rolled away from the position he had been in. 

Harry immediately reached out for him, a small frown above his closed eyes, as if sensing his big spoon had moved. In his sleep-filled mind, that just wouldn’t do! Who gave Louis permission to move when Harry had been so comfortable? He made grabby hands his way and if Louis found that endearing, well, no one was ever going to know. The problem with having been Harry’s best friend for seven years was that Louis was far too attuned to his needs to leave him alone and not feel guilty about it when the other boy was craving physical contact. 

Harry always had to be hugging something when he slept, whether a pillow or a teddy bear or Louis. He needed something beside him that he could cling on to. He’d once told Louis it was because he was scared of getting lost in his dreams, which made no sense and complete sense at the same time. Louis couldn’t even explain it to himself, really.

With a sigh, he shuffled closer to the sleeping boy, who was now making small noises of displeasure and rubbed a hand through his curls. It immediately calmed him down enough for Louis to reach for a pillow and press Harry’s hands against it. The lad hugged the pillow close, all lines of annoyance erased from his face and a small smile taking over his features. Louis waited until he was certain Harry was comfortable and fully asleep before moving again.

This time, he made it into the bathroom without disturbing the sleeping boy. 

______________________

 

By the time he’d finished his morning routine, Harry was up and rummaging through the closet for clothes since he slept in nothing but his pants.   
Harry always insisted on unpacking his bags at every hotel, whether they stayed for two days or two weeks. Louis, on the other hand, was perfectly happy living out of his suitcase.

 

He should have been prepared, really, since his friend was completely comfortable about nudity but, when Harry dropped his pants to pull on his skinny jeans, Louis felt his mouth go dry in a way he’d never consciously experienced before.  
Had Harry’s bum always been that…smooth? He wasn’t sure how long he stared but Harry’s low chuckle startled him back to reality enough to make him realise he had pretty much been ogling his best friend. Fuck!

“Like what you see?” Harry waggled his eyebrows and Louis managed to give a slightly strangled laugh. If Harry thought that was odd, he didn’t comment on it as Louis quickly tossed off his own shirt and dug in his bag for a fresh one. When he looked back up, Harry’s eyes were on him. He looked away with a slight blush the moment he realised Louis had seen him.

Well, this was sufficiently awkward. Louis was minutes away from analysing the situation the way some of those Larry Stylinson videos did. He immersed himself in getting ready instead and, it was only when he literally had nothing else left to do that he took a seat on the bed, trying not to stare at Harry’s tattoo-clad biceps as he tugged his shirt off over his head. Had he always been this fit? It was kind of funny how Louis still considered him to be the small sixteen year old from their X Factor days, despite Harry being much taller than him now.

He found his gaze drawn to the tattooed heart on Harry’s arm that had been gotten in honour of the heart Louis had once drawn on him in that exact location, during X-factor. At the time, Louis had grinned and pulled Harry into a hug because if getting something permanently tattooed onto your body wasn’t a testament of true friendship, what was?  
Now though, he found himself wondering if friends, even best friends, normally did things like that. Had Harry been _that_ confident that him and Louis would remain friends? Or had there been more to it? Like, had he gotten it as the memory of a first crush? 

As Harry’s abdomen with the butterfly tattoo was exposed (and Louis’ mind reminded him he had the complimentary quote inked onto his own body), Louis’ phone made a message alert sound.  
He grabbed for it as if it were a lifeline which, under the circumstances, it kind of was. He would die of humiliation if Harry ever found out that he had watched Larry Stylinson videos let alone the fact that he was actually considering them. His relief was short-lived, however, when he saw the text was from Niall. 

Niall had everyone but Louis fooled. He knew that the cherubic looking boy was actually a blonde menace whose baby blue eyes got him out of almost everything. Even management had a soft spot for Niall!

He opened the text with well-placed apprehension. 

_How’s my favourite ship doing then?_ followed by an aubergine emoji.   
Niall thought himself a riot, clearly. He was not.

Louis was slightly relieved to note that Harry had ambled into the bathroom to spray on deodorant. At least he was given a small reprieve from staring at the toned muscles of his abdomen. Anyone, Louis justified, would have looked. The guy was fit but that did _not_ mean he had any feelings for his best friend!

_I have no idea what the fuck you’re on about and I really don’t want to know_ , Louis wrote back although, after his research the night before, he knew _exactly_ what the ‘Larry’ ship Niall mentioned was. 

Hell, he could probably make a powerpoint presentation for management outlining what it was, complete with diagrams and quotes! Not that he’d ever admit it. Especially to Niall!

It was barely three seconds before Niall’s response came:  
 _hahaha sure Tommo. You know that button- ‘delete history’? It’s useful when you wanna keep the hundreds of larry vids you watched a secret ;)_

What a little liar! Louis had most definitely watched no more than five…maybe six? It wasn’t his fault! Youtube recommended them and who was he to turn down recommendations? Not a diva, that’s who.

He was going to ignore Niall’s message but another one popped up before he could put his phone away.

_Liam just told me you searched tumblr too! I fucking knew you’d ship it! hahaha_

Liam was going to die, Louis decided, right after he took care of Niall and hid his body. Who needed a cute, blonde Irishman in the band anyway? He wouldn’t be missed.

He wrote back as much to Niall along with:  
 _The only thing that’s gonna protect you from death is a four-leafed clover_   
Simple but effective, if he did say so himself.

“I’m going to kill Niall”, Louis stated out loud as Harry walked back into the room with, thankfully, a shirt on. He nearly snapped at him to do up the buttons (the guy honestly had no shame, flaunting his skin like that!) but managed to refrain. Because Harry was a friend and Louis was most assuredly _not_ jealous of strangers seeing that flawless skin. No. That would be absurd!

To Harry’s credit, he was so used to Louis plotting the death of fellow band members, he didn’t even ask why. Simply stated, “I think I’d miss him though. He’s always so cheerful”.

Louis sighed.   
“You’re too nice for your own good, you know that?” he grumbled because, if Harry was going to miss Niall, he couldn’t get rid of the fucker. _Not_ because he had any feelings for the brunette but because you’d have to have a heart of stone to purposely do something that would make Harry Styles sad. He was just the kind of guy who people wanted to hug and coddle and protect from the evils of the world. He was an angel, really and Louis was most certainly not the only one who thought so if the tweets that appeared on his timeline daily were any indication. 

 

Harry, unaware of Louis’ internal monologue, looked over at him and casually said, “I can be bad too”, before giving him a saucy wink and licking his bottom lip, which…Louis’ mouth fell open. He snapped it closed before Harry, who had turned to find a belt, noticed. This was normal for them. Harry was always a bit flirtatious, wasn’t he? Just a bit of banter between mates, that’s all it was.

Louis really had to pull himself together!  
Niall’s text message once again gave him something to do and he hurriedly turned to the phone to see the reply.

_I’m not worried. I have the luck of the Irish on my side. Btw Zayn wants to know how close you two are to having sex. We’re making a bet_

Louis groaned and threw the phone down on the table beside him.   
“I hate all our bandmates”, he decided, biting back a smile when Harry, predictably, came over to give him a hug. Harry’s hugs were always the best, sometimes the only things that could cheer Louis up.

“That’s okay”, Harry murmured to him, sitting on his lap as they hugged, “I like them all so it balances out”.  
Louis chuckled and nuzzled into Harry’s neck before he had thought better of it. He smelt nice, as Louis had once told a fan on twitter. He could never decide which he loved more- Harry’s curls or his smell. It was the lovely scent of summer rain mixed with whatever sweet cologne he had doused himself with. Harry sighed against him and Louis found himself relaxing into his hold, resting his head against the younger man’s shoulder. It felt so right, so perfectly natural. He froze the moment he realised what he was doing. 

Harry made a sound of confusion when Louis let go of him, nearly throwing him off as he suddenly stood. Smelling Harry was not good. No. Friends didn’t do that, did they? Maybe they did. Louis wasn’t even sure anymore. Everything was a big mess in his head.

“Lou? You okay?” Harry asked, those green eyes clouded with concern and completely oblivious to the conflicting thoughts in Louis’ head and no. Louis could not take this right now. Being this close to Harry with those youtube videos and evidence of ‘larry stylinson’ still fresh in his mind, was a recipe for disaster. Louis cursed the minute he’d decided to watch that damn video!

“Yeah, I’m fine”, he answered his best friend as convincingly as possible before nearly running towards the room phone. “Just starving! You know-food. Better order something”  
“Niall’s ordering room service for us in his room”, Harry reminded him, softly, as if he were a deer that could be startled at any moment. And okay, Louis was reading way too much into this!

“Oh, course! Yeah, I knew that. I’ll just..uh, meet you there then. For the band meeting”.

He didn’t wait to hear Harry’s response as he ran out the door. Why the hell had Youtube been invented?  
That’s what had gotten these ideas into his head. That’s what had made him analyse everything he and Harry did and said around each other. A weaker individual might have succumbed to it, might have deluded themselves into believing they were in love with their best friend even though they were straight. Louis Tomlinson, though, was determined to prove that he was anything but weak-willed! 

___________________________

 

In their hotel room (one floor below Louis and Harry’s), Niall, Zayn and Liam placed their final bets.  
“This time”, Niall said, his voice ringing with confidence, “This time I won’t lose. 2017 will be the year of Larry!”

“Niall will be the Captain that steers Louis and Harry through the murky waters of their feelings until they can see the island of their love”, Liam joked.

Zayn stared at him for a second before placing a hand over his heart.  
“That was kind of beautiful, Li. So poetic. You have a way with words”.

“Why thank you, Zayn”, Liam answered, “It’s not as good as your writing though. I…”

“No!” Niall held up a hand in front of Liam’s startled face, “I can’t take anymore sexual tension in this band! You two, stay far away from each other. Far, far away. One fucking ship at a time, alright?”

“Sounds like someone’s a little jealous” Zayn smirked.  
“You can always join us, Ni”, Liam added, blinking his eyes innocently, “We can have a three-way relationship”.  
“A love triangle”, Zayn nodded. Niall’s mouth had fallen open in incredulity.

There was a beat of silence before Zayn and Liam both cracked up, dropping their serious facade.   
“I was joking, Nialler”, Zayn grinned, throwing Liam a wink, "As much as I love Liam, it's nowhere near 'Larry' level".

Niall grumbled and said, “Just place your bets before Louis and Harry get here, you tossers”.  
“I say they’ll be together in 2018”, Zayn stated as he threw in a hundred pounds.

Liam just sighed and murmured, “It would be great if they got together by the end of this tour” and, with a spark of hope he’d nourished for the last seven years, placed down yet another crisp note from his wallet.

“Guess there’s nothing left to do but wait and see”, Zayn said, getting up to order room service. Niall and Liam shared a look. If Louis and Harry got together by the end of the tour, both of them would win.

“Yeah”, Niall smirked, winking at Liam, “Nothing to do but wait”.   
If Liam’s answering smile was anything to go by, Niall wasn’t the only one plotting ways to ensure Harry and Louis finally admitted their feelings for each other. 

What Zayn didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. It would only cost him a hundred pounds. Niall and Liam decided they were perfectly okay with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? There were some suggestions last time about making this into a chaptered fic. In case anyone’s changed their minds about that after reading this chapter, I have to ask-is this still something you’d be interested in?
> 
> If so, please let me know in the comments. If enough people want it, I’ll make it into one :) If not, I still hope you enjoyed these two chapters!  
> Whatever you decide, thanks for all the support and love to you all <3 xx


	3. Show Me Proof-3

Interviews were normally Louis’ forte. He just had to crack a few jokes, smile for the cameras and, if he was in a particularly annoying mood, throw in a few subtle jibes that would undoubtedly drive management up the wall.  
So yeah, Louis loved interviews. Except today.

Because today, they were all jet lagged from their flight to LA and Harry was clinging to anyone he could, struggling to stay upright and keep his eyes open, giving small yawns as he snuggled into the person beside him. Not that Louis was _jealous_ of Liam, who currently held the honour of being his snuggle-buddy and had his arm around Harry’s shoulder as they sat on the couch, waiting for the cameras to start. Nope. Not jealous. He just knew, without an inkling of a doubt, that he himself was better suited for the job!

He had nursed Harry through many bouts of jet lag and really, he was pretty much an expert at this point. Liam, for example, didn’t know that Harry liked his lower back to be rubbed because it would be sore after their long plane ride, which _clearly_ showed that their bandmate wasn’t qualified for the important task of looking after the younger boy. 

For some reason, jet lag always seemed to hit Harry harder than the rest of them. While Louis was just a touch more irritable than usual, Harry seemed to transform into a sloth, his movements slow and measured. He kind of reminded Louis of a nervous kitten at times like these. Quiet, startled by the smallest noises, glancing around with wide-eyed wonder, adorable…wait. Not that he was saying Harry was adorable…okay so he kind of was but….

Louis shook his head, trying to focus on the interviewer who was looking far too perky as she questioned them. Then again, she hadn’t had to sit through a fourteen hour flight! 

It was difficult to remain focused when he could see Harry in his peripheral vision, laying his head against Liam’s shoulder, concealing a yawn against his shirt. If Liam had been looking his way, Louis might have glared. Also, why was Harry even sitting next to Liam? Why wasn’t he over here, next to Louis? Oh wait…the seating chart. Right. Because apparently management decided the members of One Direction were incapable of ordering themselves properly on a couch. Something about getting distracted easily or some such nonsense! Louis had been too tired to argue the point when they’d been shown the chart but he wished he had now.

He had to grit his teeth and forcefully turn away when he saw Liam run a hand through Harry’s silky locks. The lad was practically taking advantage of his sweet, innocent, curly-headed best friend! If they hadn’t been in an interview, Louis would’ve had a few words to say to Liam.

He tuned back in to the interview when the woman stared at him expectantly, obviously waiting for his answer to a question he hadn’t heard. Zayn nudged him in a not-so-gentle manner. That boy had sharp elbows!

“Ah..sorry, kind of drifted off for a bit there”, Louis chuckled, clearing his throat, “What was the question again, sorry?”

The interviewer, thankfully, didn’t seem annoyed, just graced him with another enthusiastic smile before repeating her earlier words.

“I’ve gotten a lot of tweets about this one so I have to ask you”, she began.

Louis felt himself getting more tense, anticipating a difficult question. Was it about Larry Stylinson again? They hadn’t had questions on it in a while and Louis really couldn’t deal with any right now! Not when he was still replaying some of the scenes from those youtube videos…

“It’s about the children you’ve been pictured with recently”, she continued and without Louis’ permission, his mind wandered back to an interview they had done during the first few years of One Direction. He had been about twenty at the time and Harry was just eighteen.

 

__  
“Would you want to have children?”  
That had been the question. 

_Louis loved children, it wasn’t even something that required thought. He had the answer on the tip of his tongue when he felt Harry shift next to him. It was simply been instinct to turn and glance his way._

_“Yeah”, Harry said, softly, his eyes sparkling at the thought of babies._

_Louis chuckled quietly and added, “One hundred percent!”_

_Harry gave him a smile as if to say ‘I approve of your answer’._

_“Even as young as you are?” the interviewer had asked._

_Louis wasn’t entirely sure if the others had given an answer to the question because his eyes were locked on Harry as the younger boy murmured, “I’ve always wanted to have kids”._

_He watched Harry’s face, how it softened at the thought of his future children. He turned to Louis, a smile on his face and blinking in a dazed manner and Louis’ own face was probably embarrassingly soft when he said, almost as if in confirmation to Harry’s statement, “Yeah, definitely”.  
_

 

In hindsight, it may have appeared as if they were giving each other heart eyes but they most certainly hadn’t! 

Sure, Louis may have thought to himself how great of a dad Harry would make (might have told him that too, after the interview) but that didn’t mean he had considered having a family with Harry…did he?

Just for the briefest of moments, as Harry spoke about children with that dreamy smile on his face, eyes gazing at Louis, had the thought of having children with the boy crossed his mind? He couldn’t say for certain it hadn’t because-let’s face it- the only thing better than curly haired cherubs were _sassy_ curly haired cherubs. He wondered how Harry would deal with them. Would he be a strict parent or…oh, who was he kidding? Harry was putty when it came to children! He’d be hopeless when it came to his own!

No, Louis would have to be the strict parent and…shit! Stop! He was not thinking about this! Nope.

 

“You were pictured with children recently”, the current interviewer brought him back to the present. He blinked at her, confused.

Niall cleared his throat next to him, whispering, “For that child cancer fundraiser you attended last weekend”.

“Ohh, I mean, yeah. Yes!” Louis gave a mental sigh of relief and launched into what the fundraiser had been for, how it would go a long way in helping children who were affected with cancer and how the children he had met were some of the bravest people he’d ever known. 

“It’s amazing, you know”, he spoke passionately because it was something he truly cared about and he had been moved by some of the stories he’d heard, “These kids, some as young as two or three, face a constant, daily battle for survival. They sacrifice so much-school, hanging with their mates, taking part in sports- really, it’s amazing how positive they are in spite of all this. I don’t think there was a single kid there who didn’t have a big smile on their face. It just makes you want to help them, in any way you can, you know? So that was partly why I flew down there. Just raising awareness can help with getting enough funding for some of their treatments. Anything, even the smallest amount, can go a long way”.

“Wish I could have gone to the fundraiser”, Liam said. 

“But you didn’t, did you? Chose to go to Disneyland with his girlfriend instead”, Louis’ tone may have been sharper than intended but he blamed that on the fact that Liam still had one hand buried in Harry’s hair. Couldn’t he just _stop_ for fuck’s sake?!

“It wasn’t like that!” Liam spluttered, turning red and finally, his hand fell away from Harry. “I didn’t mean to! The dates got mixed up on my calendar and…”

“Yeah, yeah. Pitiful at excuses, this one”, Louis jerked a thumb towards Liam, giving him what he hoped would appear to be an innocent smile to the cameras. It was admirable, really, the amount of self-control Louis had. Smiling serenely when all he really wanted to do was smack Liam on the back of the head.

His bandmate’s face had turned a fascinating shade of red by now but thankfully, the interviewer just laughed and directed attention away from it. 

From beside Liam, Harry turned his head towards Louis. The small frown was almost undetectable as was the slight shake of the head but Louis caught it, just as Harry had intended. It was his way of telling Louis that he needed to tone it down before he hurt anyone’s feelings. 

And no one would expect it of Louis Tomlinson but on the few occasions when Harry disapproved of his behaviour, he simply gave him a small pout and did exactly as he had requested. Toning it down. It wasn’t fair to take out his irrational rage (no, it wasn’t jealousy despite what people may think!) on Liam. 

He mouthed, “Jet lag”, to Harry, as an explanation for his behaviour and grinned when Harry gave him a dimpled smile to show he’d been forgiven. 

His smile dropped after a minute though, when Liam’s arms came back around Harry’s shoulder. Why the fuck was Liam holding him like that?  
He wasn’t made of paper! Actually, why the fuck was Liam holding him at all? That wasn’t part of his job description!

“You alright there, Harry?” Louis asked, unable to help it, drawing the younger boy’s attention back to him.  
Harry opened his mouth to say something but Liam answered for him.

“Just a bit tired, I think”, the brown-eyed man said turning to the woman who had been interviewing them, “He’s still getting over the jet lag”.

Harry gave a small laugh and murmured out a, “Sorry”, to the lady because _of course_ he was the kind of guy who felt the need to apologise for his biological clock being out of whack! 

“Don’t worry, mate. It’s because you’re the baby of the group”, Liam chuckled.

“Yeah”, Zayn added with a smirk, “Harry needs the full eight hours of beauty sleep!”

“It’s the secret to his perfectly curly hair!” Louis joked and regretted it almost immediately when he saw Liam reach up and feel Harry’s hair _again_. Was he fucking serious?

Harry’s smile grew wider because he loved nothing more than people playing with his hair. 

Louis forced himself to laugh and clamped down on the irrational surge of anger he felt, resolutely staring at the interviewer for the rest of the interview, his jaw tight and his fists clenched at his sides. He forced his lips to quirk up slightly for the sake of the camera but his mind wasn’t on the questions they were being asked anymore. Zayn was considerate enough to field any and all questions that were thrown Louis’ way, allowing him to let his thoughts wander. 

Louis decided then and there that no matter whose feet he had to beg at, he was going to ensure Liam and Harry _never_ got seated together again! Ever.

He didn’t notice the way Niall grinned at Liam behind his back.

 

________________

 

When the interview was over, they were escorted outside to the cars that would transport them back to the hotel. 

Louis grabbed Harry before he could be whisked off by one of the other boys and the younger lad yielded easily, abandoning Liam’s shoulder in favour of grabbing onto Louis’ arm- decidedly the better option, if Louis said so himself. 

“Missed you, Lou”, Harry grinned at him as he settled into the all too familiar position by Louis’ side.  
And if Louis shot Liam a smug look at that, well. He deserved it.

With Harry next to him, the high-strung tension he’d experienced during the interview seeped out of his body. He could breathe a little easier. 

Louis bit his lip, wondering if that was a normal feeling best friends experienced. He was starting to think his feelings may warrant further examination.

 

“I’m starving!” Niall exclaimed, oblivious as always to Louis’ internal revelations, “I’ll honestly _die_ if I don’t get some food in me soon!”. 

Whoever said Louis was the dramatic one was clearly mistaken.

Liam sighed but relented. 

“Fine. We’ll stop and get something to eat before we head back to the hotel”, he placated the hungry Niall, petting his hair and…oh. Maybe that was just something Liam did to everyone. 

Louis glanced at Harry, who was snuggled against him, eyes half-closed and trusting Louis to lead them. Hah! See? Louis was trustworthy!

“Want something to eat, love?” he enquired softly and waited until the green eyes met his, blinking back the tiredness.

“No. ‘m sleepy. Wanna sleep”, Harry murmured back, clutching Louis’ arm tighter as if he were scared Louis would abandon him.

Instead, Louis wrapped his arms around Harry more securely, chuckling fondly as he ran a hand through the boy’s curls. Harry almost purred in response, smiling dazedly. 

“You do it much better than Liam does”, he whispered, glancing around to make sure the other boy hadn’t heard. Harry didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings, after all!

Louis grinned, wishing Liam _had_ heard it. He’d be sure to tell him later. For now though, he just scratched Harry’s scalp lightly, loving the way the younger lad let out a soft groan.

He tried not to sound too smug when he said, “I just know you better, H”. And Harry better not forget that!

Harry made a sound in the affirmative, murmuring, “Sleepy, Lou” and looking as if he might actually fall asleep where he stood.  
So what other choice did Louis have but to grant the poor boy’s request?

 

“Hazza and I are heading straight to the hotel. You three can take the other car”, he stated decisively, not waiting for an answer before pulling Harry behind him. They climbed into one of the cars and, upon Louis’ instruction, the driver pulled away from the curb, heading towards their hotel.

Zayn just rolled his eyes and walked towards the next car, far too used to such occurrences to care. Liam smiled quietly and started to do as they’d been told. 

Niall, on the other hand, whipped out his phone and secretly took a video of Harry snuggling against Louis before the car door shut. If anyone had asked him, he’d say it was to show Harry later but he certainly wasn’t discounting the possibility that he would one day play this at their wedding. Sure, they hadn’t _officially_ gotten together yet but Niall had been mentally prepared for their wedding since that time he walked in on Louis giving Harry a love bite (“for laughs”, Louis had claimed. The way he had pointed it out to an interviewer who had been flirting with Harry the next day said otherwise!). 

Just as he knew Louis and Harry would eventually get together, Niall also knew that they would get married; even if he had to plan the whole wedding himself and drag the grooms down the aisle! He had their whole life planned out for them, dammit! And he certainly wasn’t going to let the fact that Louis was an oblivious idiot ruin said plans!

He got into the car with Liam and Zayn, temporarily putting aside thoughts of possible wedding locations, to focus on the much more important and immediate matter of food.

______________________

 

Louis’ anger from earlier ebbed away little by little as Harry snuggled into him, his face buried in the crook of his neck.

“Harold”, Louis grumbled, half-heartedly as the boy’s cold nose sniffled against his skin, very much like a kitten’s would. “You’re freezing”.

“Warm me up then”, Harry grinned back, teasingly. He always said things like this but normally, such innocent statements _didn’t_ make Louis’ pants feel a bit tighter. Shit! He was so screwed! Maybe he should go see a therapist about it. Maybe he should kill Niall for making him watch those Larry videos! Yeah, the second option sounded much better.

“Louuuuis! Hold me, please”, Harry whined, bringing his attention back to the current situation.

“Um, right. Yeah”, Louis managed to let out a shaky chuckle and wrap his arms around the younger boy, giving a sigh of relief when Harry drifted off to sleep, allowing Louis a temporary respite from temptation.

Still, he couldn’t shut his brain off from wondering whether he really did have feelings for his best friend that were to do with more than just friendship. Why did his life have to get so complicated?

Oh. Right. Niall. One of these days, he really was going to murder that lad!

_______________________

 

Zayn had fallen asleep shortly after they made a McDonalds pit stop, giving Niall and Liam plenty of time to plot or ‘strategically plan’ as Liam insisted on calling it because, “we’re not Disney villains, Niall”.  
Niall begged to differ but he had much more important matters to discuss.

“He was jealous!” he grinned, giving Liam a high-five, “I honestly thought he was going to throw the microphone at your head or something! That would’ve given management a heart attack. Fans would’ve loved it though!”

Liam winced at the thought.  
“I’m never volunteering to do that again! If glares could kill, I wouldn’t have lived to tell the story”, he muttered causing Niall to burst into laughter.

“At least it’s over now”, Niall answered before smirking, “Oh, but just to be on the safe side, maybe you should get a food tester for the next few weeks?”

“What!?” Liam’s voice went up an octave, “You don’t think he’d try to _poison_ me do you?”

Niall cackled as Liam gulped. Sure Louis was sometimes crazy but not _that_ crazy! Didn’t mean Niall couldn’t have his fun with Liam though.

“Don’t worry, Li”, he grinned once he’d finished teasing his friend, glancing over to make sure Zayn was still asleep, “I’ve got this next part. Just leave it to me”.

Louis would have most definitely murdered him if he had known what the blonde was plotting. Luckily for Niall, he didn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **  
> As some of you have probably guessed, I've sadly outgrown this fic and currently have no plans to continue it. I'm happy to leave the chapters up for those who still want to read it but just be aware that no more chapters are going to be added. My sincerest apologies to all those that were hoping to read more. I hope my other fics make up for it! Love to you all <3 xx  
> **

**Author's Note:**

> If you’d like to comment just to say what you thought of this fic in general, I’d love to hear from you.  
>  **You can now find me on[twitter](https://twitter.com/mystic_believe)!**


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